Life cycle management for service life extension of structures

Abstract

A very important task to improve the sustainability of existing structures is to extend their service life especially in terms of resource conservation and sustainability. Therefore, the assessment and the required safety level of an existing structure are of particular importance (condition monitoring). This contribution focusses on how data from established inspection and monitoring approaches are essential and examines the more advanced, additional approaches currently under review. Both the load‐bearing capacity and the serviceability must be guaranteed over a certain period of time at or above the required safety level. The serviceability of a structure can be measured by performance indicators. It is examined how the definition and measurement of performance indicators in conjunction with a well‐designed life cycle management action can be used to extend the service life while ensuring safety levels.